Adahlen, A Wardens Journey
by AdahlenMahariel
Summary: A Mage and a Templar? Together? The idea was impossible to the Mage Adahlen while she lived in the circle. But now cast out into a cold, cruel world and forced to face reality, and defeat the darkspawn blight, Adahlen finds herself challenged like never before. And doing something she never thought would happen to her, falling in love. Follow Adahlen as she feels war, love and life
1. Chapter 1: The harrowing

Hey everyone, my name is Ellie and this is the first chapter of my Dragon Age Origins fan-fic, in this chapter, my mage, Adahlen is going to be experiencing part of her harrowing, the harrowing will be finished in the second chapter. Enjoy!

Firm armored hands grip Adahlen's arms, shaking her from her sleep, she opens her mouth to cry out, but another hand clamps over her mouth, muffling her cries. Adahlen blinks her eyes trying to clear vision, the apprentice's quarters are dark and she can only vaguely make out the silhouettes of 5 men, 4 in big armor, and 1 in a mages robe.

A single candle cuts through the darkness and Adahlen feels slightly better to see the face of first enchanter Irving, a look of pity in his eyes.

"Hush child," He says in a quiet raspy voice, "It is time for your harrowing." A feeling of excitement, curiosity and dread seeps into Adahlen. She is no longer scared of the men who are holding her in place, making sure she doesn't run. She is scared of what is before her. This is the anticipated moment. The moment she had been wondering about for almost all her life, and now here it was.

Her harrowing.

When she was small, only five or six, she was torn from her father and her aunt, her family, and brought to the circle of magi, after she had shocked her older brother for stealing her doll. The look on his face was priceless, his hair standing up straight. The look on her fathers face however, is something that she would never forget. He was horrified, appalled and miserable. First her mother had been torn away from him, and now her. But there was nothing they could do, the Templars from the chantry in town sensed her magic and raced over to her house almost directly after she had shocked her brother. She was dragged away kicking and screaming at her father to help her, and he did nothing but stare.

Now she felt like kicking and screaming, as the Templars guided her through the halls of the circle, trying to be quiet. It was almost comical, seeing her in between those two men. She was always smaller than most and very petite, and to see herself between the two large Templars only made it more apparent to her. She looked to her right, and was surprised to see that Cullen was one of the Templars guiding her, _He's new, why would they let him be present at a harrowing already?_ She thought to herself. Cullen was the only Templar she didn't despise. He kept to himself, and was never rude to any of the mages, if he said anything to them at all.

But instead of Cullen's usual relaxed expression, he wore a cold hard, emotionless mask. Looking straight ahead as he lead Adahlen up to the top floor of the tower, the harrowing chamber.

Adahlen had never seen the harrowing chamber. She wasn't allowed to. It was kept secret to all the apprentices. They weren't allowed to ask the mages what it was about, or ask the Templars, and if they did, they would get no answer.

Adahlen looks around with her big, pale, ice blue eyes, pushing back her pale, almost white-blonde hair, looking at the chamber. The ceiling was so high up it would take fifty Templars sitting on each other's shoulders to touch it. Huge stained glass windows depict scenes of mages performing magic and Templars watching over. The floor has intricate carvings that Adahlen is scared to step on, it fear she would damage them.

While she was taking this all in, The five men all had gone to the center of the room, standing around what looks to be a birdbath. It's the only thing in the whole room. She slowly walks towards them. The only faces she recognizes are Cullen, first enchanter Irving and knight- commander Greagoir. When she reaches the birdbath, Greagoir speaks.

"Magic exists to serve man, but never rule over them, so spoke the profit Andraste as she brought down the tevinter imperium, ruled by mages who had brought the world to the edge of ruin. Your magic is a gift but also a curse. Demons of the dream realm –the fade- are drawn to you, and seek to use you as a gateway into this world."

Now Irving speaks, "This is why the harrowing exists. The ritual sends you into the fade and there you will face a demon, armed with only your will." Adahlen lets this sink in; she is going to be face to face with a demon. She feels like running. _I HATE this, I hate the circle. It's just a decorated prison._ She thinks with disdain. She looks up at Irving, a question forming on her lips.

"And if I can't defeat this demon?" She says, trying to look brave. She wont let these dumbass Templars see her break down. She will face this bravely. Whatever happens.

"It will turn you into an abomination, and the Templars _will_ slay you." _How cheery_ Adahlen thinks sarcastically.

Greagoir turns to the birdbath. "This is lyruim the very essence of magic, and your gateway into the fade."

Irving grips her hand "The harrowing is a secret out of necessity child, every mage must go through this trial, as we succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you and remember that the fade is a realm of dreams." He squeezes her hand tighter, "The spirits may rule it, but your own will is real." First enchanter had always liked Adahlen, he once said he was like the daughter he never had. Whenever Adahlen dreamed of escaping the circle, she had always felt bad about it. She didn't give a fuck what anyone thought of her, but she didn't want to disappoint first enchanter.

"The apprentice must go through this on her own, first enchanter." Greagoir says annoyed, and wondering why on earth Irving thought so much of this mage, it was true she was powerful, which almost worried him. But she was naïve and young, and didn't know anything other than her books and spells.

Adahlen squeezes first enchanters hand, nods at him and turns to the lyruim. She slowly walks towards it and looks down at the shimmery blue liquid. She looks up at the Templars watching her, and sees that Cullens straight emotionless face is gone and that he looks panicked and worried but why would he be worried about her? _He doesn't like me does he?_

She shakes her head, _focus, he's probably worried that I'll become an abomination and he'll have to…kill me, stab me with his sword, chop off my hea- FOCUS._

Adahlen slowly reaches out to touch the lyruim. Her fingers barely graze the liquid, and its like her body _absorbs_ the lyruim, her hand shines with blue rays of light, slowly traveling up her arm, all over her body and with a huge blast of light that is so bright adahlen has to close her eyes, she has the feeling the floor is swept under her, and her stomach is trying to bring up what meager food she had in it. When she opens her eyes she is in the…fade. The sky is a musky green and the trees, or what look like trees are warped and disfigured, like everything here, the ruins, and the disturbing statues. It looks just like a dream, unreal and hazy. Adahlen has the same clothes on, and her skin looks exactly the same. _It all feels so…real._

Not sure what to do Adahlen walks down a path and feels a shock. Startled she looks up to see a ball of white energy floating in the air. _Wisp wraith _registers in her head. She immediately acts; reaching for her staff, but then realizes she doesn't have it. _Damn._ She pushes out her hands and draws her mana from within, casting an ice spell, the wisp wraith fizzles out and disappears.

Adahlen stands there for a moment. _Just keep moving, keep going, and be on your guard! _She walks a little more and encounters another wisp wraith, and this time destroys it with fire. She walks more and encounters a third wisp wraith; this time she foolishly casts an electricity spell at it. Instead of fizzling out, the wisp wraith gets bigger and when it zaps her with electricity that's strong enough to make her cry out and stumble. She falls onto her hands and knees. Startled she looks up seeing the wisp wraith getting ready to cast another bolt of energy, hurriedly she pushes her hands up and casts a powerful frost spell. Her stomach tightens as and her head pounds as she draws enough mana for the spell. The wraith frosts over and explodes into tiny shards of shiny ice. Adahlen covers her face as it showers over her. Slowly she gets up onto her feet.

She swipes the ice off her robes. Suddenly the world spins and she struggles to steady herself. Her mana has gone down, and so has her energy._ Lyruim, I need lyruim._ Adahlen looks at her surroundings. She had read in her books that there would sometimes be lyruim veins in the fade. If she could find one it would restore her mana. She needs to have as much mana as possible when she faces this demon.

Adahlen runs more down the path, when she suddenly she feels like she's being watched. She looks side to side when she hears a voice behind her.

"Someone else thrown to the wolves, as fresh and unprepared as ever." Says a bitter voice adahlen whips around but sees nothing behind her. Her forehead creases and she looks down, startled to see a mouse, looking up at her with intelligent eyes.

Suddenly the mouse speaks, "It isn't right that they do this, the Templars, not to you, me, anyone."

Adahlen stares down at it, trying to process what she's seeing. "You're a talking rat." She says, wondering if the fade it playing tricks with her mind. The mouse lets out a harsh laugh.

"You think you're really here, in that body? You only look like that because you think you do!" The mouse sighs. "It's always the same. But it's not your fault, you're in the same boat I was aren't you?"

Suddenly with a burst of light the mouse transforms into a man, in mages robes, with dark blonde hair. "Allow me to welcome you to the fade. You can call me…well, mouse." Adahlen feels annoyed. This "mouse" is distracting her from her goal. _Maybe that's the point Adahlen, maybe he's trying to keep you distracted and unprepared._ With that thought Adahlen sharpens her mind, flexes her hand, and changes her stance. _Be on your guard._ She turns to mouse.

"Not your real name, I take it?" She says with a sarcastic edge to her voice.

"No I don't remember anything from…before. The Templars kill you if you take to long, they assume you failed, and they don't want something getting out. That's what they did to me, I think. I have no bod to reclaim, and you don't have much time before you end up the same." The mouse says playing up his sob story.

She feels a little bad for this man. Thrown in here against his will, just like her, slain just because he took longer than he's supposed to. But this will not be Adahlen's end. She sticks her chin up and says confidently "That will not happen to me."

The mouse simply scoffs. "That has been said before. But you don't know the danger. There's something… here. Contained just for an apprentice like you. You must face this demon and resist it. That's your way out, or your opponents, if the Templars wouldn't kill you, a tease for the creatures of the fade."

Adahlen frowns; she doubts that defeating a creature is the only test here. Any strong mage can kill something. She recalls what first enchanter had said before she had gone into the fade. _Keep your wits about you and remember that the fade is a realm of dreams the spirits may rule it, but your own will is real. _This test it to make sure mages can resist temptation. Killing this thing must not be her only test. That would be too easy. "Anything can die. I doubt its as simple as that."

"You would be a fool to attack everything you see. What you face is powerful, cunning. There are others here, other spirits. They will tell you more, maybe help, If you can believe anything you see."

The mouse pauses. "I'll follow, if that's all right. My chance was long ago, but you…you may have a way out." And with that he goes back into mouse form, and Adahlen narrows her eyes. She doesn't like this mouse following her. He makes her… uneasy. Adahlen starts walking and mouse speaks. "The spirit you'll be facing isn't far from here, don't go near it unless you're ready to fight." Adahlen keeps walking. Suddenly the path veers off to the side, to a sort of secluded area surrounded by fire. "This is where you'll fight the demon." The mouse says. _Interesting, he seems to know a lot about this demon I'm fighting. _She looks around and see's a blue shimmer, _Lyruim._ But since she took a break talking to mouse, she feels better; she needs to use the lyruim wisely. "Come on mouse let's keep moving." Adahlen says.

They encounter a wisp wraith and this time Adahlen quickly frosts it. The mouse makes a grunt. "You are quite powerful, you may actually do this." He says.

"I will not fail." Adahlen is sure of her abilities, They walk only a little further, and Adahlen notices that a lot of this is the same, one could easily get lost in the fade. They enter another clearing where Adahlen spots the ghostly form of a Templar.

"Another spirit." Says the mouse.

"One that could help me?" Adahlen asks.

"Perhaps," the mouse answers.

Slowly Adahlen approaches the spirit. Behind it, there are what look to be weapons on racks. The spirit speaks.

"Another mortal thrown into the flames and left to burn I see. Your mages have devised a cowardly test better you were pitted against each other to prove your mettle with skill, than be sent unarmed against a demon." The spirit says.

Adahlen nods, "I agree, but I didn't have a choice."

The spirit speaks again. "Indeed. The choice, and the fault, lies with the mages who sent you here. That you remain means you have not yet defeated your hunter. I wish you glorious battle to come."

_This spirit seems to love battle._ "What kind of spirit are you?"

"I am Valor, a warrior spirit. I hone my weapons in search of the perfect expression of combat."

"Well, Valor, I need your help." Adahlen says. Mouse seems to be staying quiet.  
Valor nods. "Of course you are not the first mortal to seek my aid."

He pauses. "I am not here to assist you however. My purpose is to seek perfection, creating the ultimate weapon for the pursuit of valor."

Adahlen's eyes flick to the weapons behind him. "Would one of these weapons affect the demon?"

"Without a doubt. In this realm everything that exists is the expression of a thought." He answers.

Valor continues. "Do you think these blades be steel? The staves be wood? Do you believe they draw blood? A weapon is a single need for battle and my will makes that reality." He pauses and looks her straight in the eye.

"Do you truly desire one of my weapons? I will give one to you… If you agree to duel me, first. Valor shall test your mettle as it should be tested."

Adahlen looks at the weapons, they would certainly be helpful. But it seems the spirit would just like to kill her himself. But of course, if she said this to the spirit he could get offended. She makes up her mind. "I agree to your duel Valor."

Valor seems surprised. "As you wish mortal. We battle until I am convinced you are strong enough to defeat your demon. If you do not convince me, I will slay you. Are these rules clear?"

"I understand valor." She backs up a little distance away from him, and gets in her battle stance flexing her hands, she watches mouse scurry away to watch at a safe distance._ Coward. No wonder he failed._ She returns her attention to Valor.

He draws his blade. "Our duel begins now. Fight with Valor!" He yells.

As he starts running towards her Adahlen casts the first spell that comes to mind. An arcane bolt, the bolt hits valor, but he keeps running, electricity flasing on his armor, which would've hurt him, if it was a strong spell. But it was a weak spell and didn't take much to cast. The electricity goes on his blade._ Great, now his blade can electrocute me. Just great! _He's getting his blade ready for a huge hit. Quickly she casts winters grasp and Valor freezes mid-step. She quickly takes her chance now and casts a powerful lightning bolt feeling her mana deplete drastically. Valor cannot move and the lightning has to be painful as she put most of her power into the spell. When Valor unfreezes, he stumbles to the ground.

"Enough." Valor commands getting up unsteadily. "Your strength is sufficient to the task. The staff is yours."

He grabs the staff from the rack and hands it to Adahlen, and mouse scurries back over. She holds the staff in her hand. It feels like any other staff, and is eerily familiar. She looks at valor. "We're done I hope?"

Valor nods. "May you find glory in all your achievements mortal."

OKAY! End of chapter one! I'm very excited about this! This story is my very first fan-fic, or really the first story I've wrote and put on public display. I'm new at this so humor me! I know its short, but they will get longer, I promise, please review my story and let me know on things I could improve on, or ya know tell me how amazing I am, that works to =) Anyway thanks for reading my first chapter!

~Ellie


	2. Chapter 2: The Harrowing, pt 2

Tis the dawn of my second chapter! In this one, Adahlen completes her harrowing. Enjoy! ~Ellie

Adahlen scurries away from Valor, like everything here, the spirit made hear uneasy. She felt that at any moment a raging demon would burst from the ground and attack her. Mouse was behind Adahlen, keeping a safe distance from her incase something attacked. But nothing had attacked them for a while. It was too quiet. Adahlen suddenly halts and mouse bumps into her leg, She narrows her eyes and looks around. Reaching back for her staff, and as soon as her hand wraps around the cold iron, she hears a low menacing growl.

Three creatures attack from three different angles. They look like wolves, but they are a misty white and look like a spirit. _The dangerous beings of the fade, page 57, shelf number 33, in the mage library. Spirit wolf. These wolves are just like any other, their bite just as painful, their claws just as sharp, but they are quite dangerous. They aren't immune to any specific spell, but blades pass through them like air. Be wary of these creatures, they often attack in packs._ Adahlen was talented like that. She had read almost all of the books that were available to her. She had always had a strong memory, she could remember every date, what had happened and how she was wearing her hair. Even if it was just an average day. 

Adahlen grips her staff and pushes her power forward. The wolves are nipping and trying to claw through her robes. She hears mouse give out a strangled squeal as one wolf kicks him with his paw. Adahlen grunts and uses her mana to cast a fire spell. The wolf whimpers and rolls around as fire crawls up its body, a strange white mist rising like smoke. Adahlen casts an arcane bolt and the creature stiffens and falls to the ground in a burnt, smoking mess. While doing all this she also had to ward off the other creatures. She kicks another one of the wolves in the jaw, making it stumble to the ground. Quickly, she casts an ice spell, making the wolf frost over on the ground. Adahlen casts another arcane deathblow and the wolf shatters like the wisp wraith. She turns to the final one, who is looking at his fallen brethren, and starts to back away.

"No you don't!" Adahlen yells, and casts another ice spell, confining the wolf to its place, and she hurriedly casts a lightning spell. Strands of powerful electricity jet from Adahlens hands, and she is forced to close her eyes because it is to bright, when she opens her eyes, there is a smoking pile of ash and ice on the ground.

Only then does Adahlen notice how tired she is. Her forehead is covered in sweat, and she is gasping for air. And it seems at any moment her brittle knees would give up and she'd crumple to the ground in a sweaty mess. She puts her hands on her knees and sucks in long, painful gasps of air. She looks over at mouse, who is watching her with not worry, but _interest_. Like she's a piece of meat at the market. Mouse changes into his human form.

"It is dangerous to be out in the open like this. Not that hiding helps much in the fade." _Don't ask if I'm okay or anything… _Adahlen thinks bitterly. Why should she not frost him right here and be done with it? But she can't shake the feeling that he could be useful. A question is pushed up to the front of Adahlen's brain.

"Mouse?" she says, catching his interest. "How have you survived here so long?"

Mouse sighs. "I missed my chance." _Yeah we get it, we get it. You've already said that, like a million times. _She looks at mouse, waiting for him to continue.

"I became small. Unnoticeable. I hide from the bigger things, learn from the smaller things. There are places you can hide where the shadows go on forever. You stay there long enough and the shadows begin to creep inside of you." Mouse says in a wistful voice. "I don't know how long it's been. Forever, maybe."

Adahlen couldn't wrap her head around why the Templars would just kill him without really knowing whether he'd failed or not. "So the Templars simply killed you?"

Mouse narrows his eyes. "That is what happens to the physical bodies of the apprentices who fail. They'd kill every mage if they could. All the Templars see in magic is danger. And they don't just use the Harrowing. If you learn a little too much, they'll label you a blood mage and kill you one sight!" Mouse's voice has raised and he is getting red in the face.

He points at Adahlen, "true mages like you know that the power you hold is a gateway to greater things!" Mouse is yelling now, and flailing his arms around. "A potential they can never hope to contain." He looks at her, gasping for breath, red as a tomato and still fuming. He should've had smoking coming out from his ears. Adahlen has an instinct to back up.

"You're getting a little…crazy mouse." She says in a careful voice. Mouse stares at her like a lunatic a moment longer, then he completely turns back to normal. His face turning back to a normal shade, losing his defensive stance. Relaxing his arms.

He grimaces at her. "Am I? Sorry." Like he hadn't just completely lost his mind. "There are people who don't go the Circle of Magi, you know. Who don't obey the Templars. They are hunted, but at least they are free."

Of course Adahlen knew this. The mages who went against the circle were Apostates. She had often dreamed of being one. Living somewhere in the middle of the forest, by herself. Doing whatever she wanted, No Templars constantly watching her, controlling her every move. _Stop thinking like that, Adahlen. You're not going to get there, even if you could get to your phylactery in time, would you even have the guts? _She turns her attention back to mouse.

"You don't want to lose yourself here. Being nothing would be easier than this." _Don't feel sorry for him, don't feel sorry for him. _But Adahlen couldn't help feeling terrible for him. A man just like her, thrown in here against his will, and then he failed, and is forced to stay here and hide in the shadows. She felt like him in a way, but all this talk about her "knowing her magic is the gateway to greater things." Sounded slightly suspicious. She was so conflicted on her feelings. Whether to feel sorry for this weak, helpless thing, or to loathe him for being too weak and helpless and moaning about it. She definitely felt bad for him.

"That's horrible," she says trying to make him feel better. The mouse doesn't look cheered up though.

"Yes, horrible." He says in a monotone. Then he looks up at her. "You'll find out for yourself soon enough. Maybe you'll say the same thing to yourself, one day." He shakes his head and flashes back to a mouse.

_Well aren't you mister positive_. Adahlen shakes it off and walks up a big hill right in front of her. When they crest the top of the hill, Adahlen's heart nearly jumps out of her chest. There sleeping is a huge bulking figure, like a bear with spikes sticking out of its fur. It opens one eye and see's her, and lazily closes it. The way it looked at her, like she was just another pesky, insignificant, human.

"Is he a spirit here to help me?" She asks mouse.

Mouse stares up at her. "I don't know. Maybe, he isn't the demon you're facing, but he doesn't look like valor." Adahlen wavered. Not sure what to do.

_Risk it? Risk it._

Adahlen walks towards the huge figure, trying to look brave, she doesn't know why though, as he hadn't even opened his eyes. She stops, keeping a safe distance from the bear. She stands there until he opens his lazy eyes.

"Hmm…" he sighs in a deep rumbling voice. "So you are the mortal being hunted? And the small one… is he a snack for me?" The demon eyes mouse with hunger in his eyes. Mouse lets out a squeal.

"I-I don't like this," mouse stutters, "He's not going to help us. We should go…"

The bear only sniffs and lolls his head. "No matter. The demon will get you eventually, and perhaps there will even be scraps left…" the bear sounds very hopeful. Suddenly Adahlen recognizes this creature. _The more powerful and dangerous demons of the fade, page 80, chapter 7, Mages library, section 5, shelf 10. Sloth Demon._

"You're a sloth demon." Adahlen says, Sloth demon looks up at her, and frowns, if bears can frown. He gives a grunt of approval.

"You are smarter than you appear mortal, but be gone, both of you! I'm sure you have better things to do than bother Sloth, mortal. I tire of you already. He starts to close his droopy eyes, but before he can Adahlen steps forward, to close to Sloth for comfort, but she straightens her posture and stares sloth right in the eyes.

"I need your help to defeat a demon." Adahlen says, trying to keep her head held high.

Mouse pipes in "He looks powerful. It might be possible that he could… teach you to be like him." He is still at a safe distance away.

The demon grunts. "Like me? You mean teach the mortal to take this form?" He grunts again as if laughing. "Most mortals are too attached to their forms to change."

He looks at mouse. "But you, on the other hand, little one, might be a better student. You let go of your human form years ago." Adahlens eyebrows shoot up as she looks at mouse. Maybe he could be of use to her…

Mouse stutters. "I- I don't think I'd make a very good bear. How would I hide?" Adahlen suppresses the urge to yell, "Stop being a coward and fight!" But she doubted mouse would appreciate that, so she tries it from a different angle.

"We need to face our fears mouse, hiding doesn't solve anything." Mouse looks up at her and changes form, into a human.

"We? I have faced more in this place than you can imagine. Fear is… just one more thing." Adahlen narrows her eyes at mouse, and he swallows. "But… you are right. Hiding doesn't help. I'm sorry, it's the fade. It changes you." He lets out a big sigh. "I'll try. I'll try to be a bear, if you'll teach me." He looks up down at the bear that is still lying on the ground, watching them, amused.

"That's nice, but teaching is so exhausting, Good bye." He closes his eyes. Mouse looks at her unsurprised

"I told you he wouldn't help us." Mouse turns to walk away, but Adahlen holds her ground.

"Mouse wants to learn. Teach. Him." She says in a commanding voice. The bear looks up surprised, and his eyes flick to mouse.

"You wish to learn my for, little one? Then I have a challenge for your friend. Answer three riddles correctly, and I will teach you." Now the demons eyes turn to her.

Fail, and I will devour you both. The decision is yours." He looks like he'd rather the second option.

Adahlens eyes narrow. _I should kill you right here, right now._ But she knows that wont help anything. With a frustrated huff, she gives in.

"I accept your challenge, Sloth."

The demon gets slowly onto its feet. "Truly? This gets more and more promising."

Adahlen stares at him, waiting for the demon to continue.

"My first riddle is this: I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, towns without people, mountains without land. What am I?" Adahlen goes over options, a dream? No there are always people and land in her dreams, and idea? No that doesn't make sense. Then something clicks in her mind. She remembers looking over a map in her quarters of Ferelden, dreaming of places she wanted to go, but never would. She remembers her fingers skimming over the drawn on castles and rivers and towns. Wishing she was there, imagining she was.

"A map?" She says getting ready to draw her staff, just in case.

The bear snorts in surprise. "Correct let's move on."

"The second riddle: I'm rarely touched, but often held. If you have wit, you'll use me well." This one comes quickly to Adahlen, as she was told many times by many people in the circle to hold her…

"Tongue, the answers tongue." The sloth demon looks disappointed.

"Yes your witty tongue, fair enough, one more?" Adahlen nearly smiles, she's on a roll.

"Often I will spin a tale, never will I charge a fee. I'll amuse you an entire eve, but alas, you wont remember me. What am I?"

Dream, the answers dream. Adahlen remembers only the important dreams, a visit from her father, her free in the wilds, and the memory of that Templar boy…

She shakes her head; she cares not to think of that haunting experience. Not that it doesn't creep up on her at times…

"A dream?" The sloth demons face falls, and she knows she has won.

The demon lets out a defeated _humph _and says to her "You are correct. You are not as dimwitted as I first thought." _Gee thanks,_

The bear Slowly drags itself up, "You've won my challenge and made for an amusing distraction. I will teach the little one my form." Sloth and Mouse walk a little ways away and the sloth starts to teach Mouse. Adahlen watches, trying to be patient, but worried about her time. _I wonder how much they give us? _Adahlen racks her brain, trying to remember how long it's been. It scares her when she isn't sure. It's felt like hours, but then again minutes. For a moment Adahlen feels completely lost and unsure. Mouse's voice brings her out of her terror.

"I'm a bear! It's strange, and feels… heavy." Adahlen looks over Mouse. He looks just like an ordinary black bear. Far less fierce than Sloth, but at least he'll be useful.

"Hmm, close enough." Sloth plops down and closes his eyes. "Go then defeat your demon… or whatever you intend to do. I grow weary of your mortal prattling."

Gladly, Adahlen thinks practically running down over the hill. She stops when she's a safe distance away. Mouse switches to human form.

"You know what's next don't you?" He says eying her with not pity but curiosity. _Creepy. _

Adahlen nods. "The demon."

Mouse raises his eyebrows, "are you ready?"

Adahlen thinks, there's nothing else she can equip herself with. It's time. "Yes. I'm ready."

Mouse gives her one more look and changes into his new bear form. He leads her to the spot that he had said she would fight the demon. On the way they encounter another pack of spirit wolves. This pack is eliminated easily with the help of Mouse. They continue walking to the demon. Right before they turn the corner into the demons sight, Adahlen takes a moment to calm herself. She touches her staff assuring its there, she looks at mouse who is watching her with impatient eyes. She realizes she's stalling. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths and turns the corner.

At firsts there's nothing, and Adahlen is confused, had she failed? A wave of emotions hits her. But then a fiery warped figure rises from the ground, bellowing with rage.

"There, is the demon of rage." Mouse says grimly, in his human form. The demon has spotted her, no backing out now. She walks forward and fire flares up behind them, blocking the only exit. She approaches the fierce creature with grim determination. She is merely two feet from it, when it speaks in a deep terrifying voice that chills Adahlen to the bone, even surrounded by all this fire.

"So it comes to me at last." The creature writhes and flails its clawed hands around.

"Soon I shall see the land of the living with your eyes, creature. You shall be mine, body and soul." The creature lowers its head so it is eye to eye with her. This makes Adahlen want to back away, but she stands her ground not moving, her jaw clenches. "Then come and get me if you can."

The demon lets out a hard, throaty laugh. "Oh I shall." He turns to Mouse, still in his human form.

"So this is the creature you're offering, Mouse? Another plaything, as per our arrangement." These words hit Adahlen as she turns to Mouse, _traitor! He's turning me in! He's not helping me, he's going to sit and watch while the demon kills me_! Mouse looks at her and sees the fury in her eyes, and his eyes, they show…fear. He turns to the demon.

"I'm not offering you anything! I don't have to help you anymore!" Adahlen feels relief wash over her. Mouse isn't abandoning her! She instantly regrets all the things that she had thought about Mouse. He was helping her, being brave for once, she looks at the demon with a smug face.

The demon looks amused, lava dripping from its arms as it raises them up in the air. "Aw. And after all those wonderful meals we have shared? Now suddenly the mouse has changed the rules?" The demon says mocking sadness, still fairly confident he can slay them both.

"I'm not a mouse now!" He yells, changing from human to bear. The demon rears back, surprised. "Soon I wont have to hide! I don't need to bargain with you!"

The demon looks at them, with cruel murder in his eyes. "We shall see…" The demon lunges at Adahlen, and she narrowly sidesteps his attack, the demon falls to the ground, and Mouse taking a chance, jumps up onto the demon, pinning him down. Biting with his jaws. Adahlen takes her staff out, and thinks of a spell. She draws her mana for a simple lightning spell, not wanting to use too much so early in the fight.

The ball of white lightning hits the demon and webs over his skin, the demon bellows out in pain, and in his rage throws mouse to the side. Adahlen feels a minor shock on her back; she whips around to see three wisp wraiths floating in the air. Adahlen casts a frost spell, defeating the first one, and then casts a fireball, killing the second one. For the final one she casts another frost spell. She's done this in a matter of five seconds. She whips back around, to see the demon getting up, advancing towards her; Mouse is on his side fighting to get up. Adahlen has to act and she has to act quickly. She has enough mana for one more powerful spell.

_The apprentices spell book, apprentice library, shelf 5, page 88, stone fist. The caster hurls a stone projectile that knocks down the target and inflicts nature damage, possible shattering those that have been petrified or frozen solid. _Adahlen had tried this spell many times, and failed, but it was the only spell she knew that might be powerful enough to defeat the demon.

Closing her eyes. Adahlen forces herself to focus on the spell and only the spell. She charges and spreads her mana all through her body, a single bead of sweat rolls down her forehead. Adahlen bends her fingers as if she was digging into the ground, and is surprised when she feels pressure on her fingers and the crunch of the ground splitting.

_Focus_. She lifts her arms high into the air and brings them together. Now she opens her eyes and sees a huge ball of rock floating in between her hands. She is a sweaty mess, but all the while she was summoning the rock, the demon was just standing there dumbfounded.

"You, you are no ordinary mage… W-what are you?" He stutters out.

Adahlen stares the creature in the eyes, "Someone who will not be used!" She yells and hurls the ball of stone right at the creature's chest, when it hits him; the stone embeds itself inside of the demon, who is hurled 20 feet backward. When he lands he lets out a defeated wail and sinks back into the ground.

_It's done; I've defeated my test_. Adahlen looks at her shaking hands, and where the demon used to be, all there is now is a smoking pile of ash and rock.

Mouse makes her jump. "You did it! You actually did it! When you came I hoped that maybe you might be able to… but I never really thought any of you were worthy." Mouse is in his human form now.

Adahlen's stares at her hands, and at the fresh dug up ground she had pulled the stone from. She feels really depleted. No power in her at all. Mouse's words are bouncing around her head but she can't really make any sense of them. "_You did it. Never really thought any of you were worthy." _

_ Think. Focus. I just defeated a demon. And I'm wiped out. But that wasn't that bad. Is my test truly over? It all seems a little too…_

"Easy." Adahlen bursts out, and mouse gives her a strange look. "It all seems a little too easy." She explains. Mouse points at her.

"That's because you are a true mage, one of the few. The others, they never had a chance. The Templars set them up to fail. Like they tried with you." Adahlen glares at Mouse. _Yeah, you helped out with making the others fail too. You betrayed them_. Mouse must've sensed what she was thinking because he sighed and gave Adahlen a regretful look.

"I regret my part in it, but you have shown me that there is hope. You can be so much more than you know." Adahlen thinks over Mouse's words, and looks in his eyes, and she recognizes his expression, he looks hungry for something, and hopeful. _Mouse must want something_. Adahlen crosses her arms.

"So what is it you think you can get from me?" She says, a hint of suspicion edging into her voice.

"You defeated a demon, you completed your test. With time, you will be a master enchanter with no equal." Mouse pauses and looks up at her with another hungry expression.

"And maybe there's hope in that for someone as small and as… forgotten as me. If you want to help." Adahlen opens her mouth to speak but Mouse interrupts her.

"There may be a way for me to leave here, to get a foothold outside. You just need to want to let me in." He has a crazed expression on his face now, looking at Adahlen like he's already won. Adahlen wavers. _This poor thing, I could help him, he can't take over my body right? I'll still be me if I let him in. I just have to let him in… _

Adahlen looks up at the mouse, who is looking so hopeful. _He wouldn't be forced to wander the fade anymore, and with him… I could escape the circle, live in the wilds. I just have to let him in… _

This all seems like a wonderful plan but something is brought up to the front of her mind.

_Keep your wits about you and remember that the fade is a realm of dreams the spirits may rule it, but your own will is real.  
_ _This, this is my test, the demon, he wasn't the point of this. I'm supposed to resist temptation. This Mouse. HE'S my test. To see if I'm strong enough to resist an abominations lure. _

Adahlen looks up at Mouse and glares. "I'm starting to think that the other demon wasn't my test." Mouse's face turns red.

"What? What are you… of course it was! What else is here that could harm an apprentice of your potential." He looks at her again with that hopeful expression, trying to convince her, but then Mouse's face changes and he lets out a cold hard chuckle.

"You are a smart one." He remarks, and slowly, Mouse starts to change form. He grows taller and thicker into an evil looking demon, far fiercer than the one she just faced. Adahlen instinctively grabs for her staff, but the demon speaks.

"Simple killing is a warrior's job. The real dangers of the fade are preconceptions, careless trust…pride." The demon says in a much deeper voice than mouse. Then suddenly, the demon shines with bright light, forcing Adahlen to look away, and when she looks back, Mouse is gone.

Adahlen stands there, alone in the fade. And for a moment she thinks that she took too long. But then she feels a tickle on her hand, bringing it up, she sees its shining like she just absorbed lyrium, it travels up her arm and all over her body. Adahlen closes her eyes, feeling herself being sewn back into her mortal body. Adahlen lets out a victorious laugh as she's sucked from the realm of dreams. The fade has no power over her.

BOOM. Chapter two is over and so is the harrowing. Things will be picking up in the next chapter where we will have our friend Jowan ask us a favor ;) and she obliges and some stuff…happens. Muhhahaha stay tuned. ~Ellie


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